angels and demons: not what it seems
by unversed-unbirth
Summary: Not everything is as it seems. M for later chapters.
1. New School, New Life

**Not What It Seems**

**Chapter One: New School, New Life**

**Sora's POV**

**Line of the chapter:** **"Moo, I'm a turtle."**

I peek out the window, and see we're still going through the forest. I frown and look back at my brother, who still stares at me. The bag of chips I had given him is still lying in his lap. "Vani!" I whine. He sighs, but doesn't say anything. "Come on, you gotta try 'em. The human food is really, really, really, really good." I watch eagerly as he picks the bag up. He opens it and sniffs the contents before making a face. I frown again.

"If you keep doing that, your face'll freeze that way." Vani says, tasting a chip. He spits it out into the bag when he thinks I'm looking, but I let my brother get away with it. Bet you're wondering who we are, right? Well, my name is Sora Hikari, and I'm going to Radiant Garden with my older brother (by ten minutes) Vanitas. Our mother's brother Terra and his wife Aqua (who had been taking care of us since we were ten), had no idea of our conditions. They just thought Vanitas was a rebel, and I was the goody two-shoes (kinda true). You know that "condition" I mentioned before? Well, I'm an angel—they're real, and they have semi-human forms. Vani is a demon, but he has a semi human form also. By semi-human, we mean that we appear human, act human, but we possess most of our angelic/demonic traits. We are on our way to visit our cousins Ven and Roxas who are the same as us, Roxas being the demon, and Ven being the angel.

Why are we here on Earth, instead of Heaven and Hell? Simple. We're part of a long line of Earth-dwelling angels and demons, who would've gone back to their respective realms but sadly, the Door only opens once every few millennia. Did I forget to mention we're immortal? I think I did. Well, I can withstand anything except for darkness and human temptation. Vani can withstand anything except for light and crucifixes. I prayed to God that Tifa didn't keep any of those around the house.

"Aw, you're so mean!" I reply to his earlier comment. It was Vani's turn to frown. I see him smiling. "Are you proud of yourself for that? Ugh, you're just terrible."

"And… we're not here!" he tells me, watching people get on board. We had stopped in Traverse Station to pick up people who wanted to visit the old castles. It's going to be two more hours before we get to the Hollow Bastion Railway Station. My eyelids start to drop once we're on our way again, but at the sound of the train whistle, I jump to my feet with my wings fully extended. Vani glares at me, and I sit back down with my wings reluctantly folding inside my shirt. We ride through the valley and over a river until the whistle pierces the silence once again. I grab my suitcase before following Vani outside. It's considerably colder here than on the islands, I note, rushing to the bench where a family of four sat waiting for relatives. My aunt (from my mom's side) Tifa, my uncle Cloud, and my cousins hug me all at once, which was weird since I was taller than the two adults; at six feet and one inch—another angelic trait. I noticed that Ven and their parents were edgy around Vani, but I thought it was only because of the stories being passed around.

_~FLASHBACK~_

_Vani started to twitch when he saw me get kicked in the ribs by Seifer. I would've healed myself by now, but the crowd gathering provided too many witnesses. Seifer lifted me up by the collar of my shirt and slammed me into the lockers. Black spots covered my vision, as a throbbing pain came from the two bumps on my back. I pressed my lips shut, refusing him the satisfaction of me squirming and begging for mercy. I had barely enough time to register what was going on, when he let me slump to the floor. His goons, Rai and Fuu got their taste of my misery. Rai was a lot bigger than I was, so the bruises forming on my jaw already were black and blue. They beat me until I was almost numb, Fuu firing one word insults at me. _

"_Pathetic."  
><em>

"_Midget." _

"_Freak." _

_Vani lost it, and grabbed Fuu by her throat. She struggled and clawed at his gloved hands, tightening around her neck. Her face turned red with the effort to breathe, making Vani laugh and whisper things I couldn't hear because of my ringing ears. Her nose started to gush blood, and splatter over the floor as she ran like hell in the direction of the girl's bathroom. He turned to Seifer. _

"_Desu__kara, watashi wa ushiro ni suwaru n, anata wa watashi no otōto o taosu Miru dakeda to omou? Īe, saifā o okonau koto ga dekimasu. Watashi wa anata to wa owatte iru toki, anata no kawari ni jigoku ni kakikomu tame ni ikiru o susume shimasu." He turned to the lockers, where I was sneaking a hand up my uniform top to heal my broken and bruised ribs. The white glow was masked by the white shirt, stained with my own blood. _

_~END FLASHBACK~_

That's when the stories began. My cousins are the only ones to be nice to Vani, but Ven is uncomfortable in his presence, being an angel like me. My uncle takes our luggage from us, and puts them in one of the two cars they'd brought. Ven and I walk to my aunt's blue Honda, while Vani and Roxas went in the black Nissan. I remember Ven had been Vani's best friend at one time—when our parents were still alive. I scratch the skin that was underneath one of my white, fingerless gloves. The sun is up and high in the sky, so I have extra trouble keeping my wings down with the temptation to rise up and fly.

"Hey Sora?" Ven asks. Yep, that's my cousin, Ventus Strife all right. Always wanting to play a game of 20Questions.

"Yeah?"

"What's been going on since the last time we saw you?" That had been twelve years ago, not counting the holiday visits and summer vacation.

"School, working at the smoothie shop, sleeping, hanging out with friends, the usual." Oh yeah, I forgot, and saving the world from certain death by being an angelic freak!

"What about Vanitas?" he asks, silently. I hear him—thank you super-sensitive hearing!

"Eh, I dunno. He does karate and stuff a lot. He works at the… the place with the, um… Okay, I admit, I have no freaking idea, he always keeps to himself."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Well, at least I can trust one of the Hikari twins." he mutters under his breath. I hear him (he's getting to be too human for his own good), but turn to the window and watch the clouds. The sky is a comforting baby blue, dotted with puffy white wisps. I watch the sun sink just a little deeper into the sky, as we pulled into the driveway. A group of people were taking turns banging on the front door. Two redheads were all screaming up at one of the windows. A taller boy, one of the redheads, wearing black basketball shorts and a black t-shirt with a red bandana around his neck seemed to be doing most of the screaming.

"Hey, Ven! Roxas! Will you get your asses down here already? Three hours, where are you and your cousins?" he adds, kind of losing his voice. I hop out of the car and run to the front door.

"Hikari twin number one, at your service! So, what can I do for you?" I ask, looking at the assorted group. The screamer coughs and clears his throat.

"I'm Axel, got it memorized?"

"Sure." I say, smiling. My eyes scan the group, stopping at the redhead next to Axel. She's wearing the girls' school uniform, a dark green tie with a white blouse and plaid green skirt. On Axel's other side is a girl with blue eyes and unevenly short black hair. She's wearing a black tank top and dark grey skinny jeans stuffed into pointed-toe heeled boots. I notice Vani keeps his eyes on her, and the odd aura she's giving off was new to us. Behind them is a dirty blonde with baggy camouflage jeans and a military-green vest with a skull-and-crossbones shirt underneath. I flick my eyes over to the silverette, with the boys' school uniform on, the top buttons undone and the dark green pants hanging loosely around his waist. I roll my eyes at his obvious attempt to attract girls, and turned back to Axel. I sling my arm around Vani's shoulder, ruffling his hair. "I'm Sora Hikari, this is my brother Vani." I tell them. My eyes drift past Axel, to the redhead girl. She's effin' hot!

"Don't encourage them, Sora-kun." he murmurs, low enough for only me to hear.

"What did he say?"

"Oh, he doesn't like my nickname. Okay, fine, his name's Vanitas."

"So, Sora-kun, you gonna come with me and Ven?" Roxas asks.

"Aren't you supposed to go with Vani?" I cross my arms and give him a knowing look.

"Damn your intelligence."

"Where are you goin'?" Axel asks

"NOWHERE!" Roxas and Ven both scream. Roxas slaps a hand over Ven's mouth, and vice versa.

"If you shout 'NOWHERE' then you are most definitely going somewhere." the silverette pointed out.

"We need to catch up, right Sora-kun? Venny? Roxie-pop?" Vani asks, using old nicknames that would win our cousins over for sure (that, or they'd get annoyed and say yes to save themselves from further embarrassment). Roxas shoves his hands into his pockets and grumbles a mixed-up answer while Ven nods slowly.

"Now for the real purpose we came here. End of summer week-long party!" Axel exclaims, fisting the air.

"Party equals chance for IRC!" Vani whispers. I glare and smack him upside the head.

"What'd he say?"

"He's in. And word of advice Vani, if you decide to do that, say hello to your brand new crucifix!" I say loud enough for the people across the street to hear. Tifa looks out from the living room window, giving me "the look". Do _all_ mortals do that to their children? Sheesh, give me a break! My brother's the son of Satan, for crying out loud!

"Crucifix? Roxas, once again, you have disappointed us. We thought the twins would be _normal _for a change!"

"Hey, it's not my fault! I _was _going to help you figure out the evil twin, but you can learn it the hard way. Right Sora-kun?"

"Right. Anything you want to say in English, Vani?"

"Goth chick, hey! Can you go inside for a minute?" the goth girl stares but retreats to the Strife household anyway. Vani dashes after her, and I think that he plans to investigate. I hope so.

"Your brother, he's not a pervert is he?"

"Er, aren't we all perverts?"

"True, but not what I meant. Can he keep his _hands to himself_?"

"Most of the time."

"Whaddya mean, 'most of the time'?" I laugh. He has _no _idea what I have to put up with on what Vani calls Incubus Day. Just like Roxas damned my intelligence, I damn Vani's stamina—I mean, seventeen girls in _one night? _Who does that?

"Five, four, three, two, one…" I kick the door open with my foot, giving them the cheesiest grin I can manage without cracking up. As I predicted, Vani has the goth girl straddling him up against the wall. They're making out, (NOT MY DAY) but she looks like she's merely surprised. He lets her drop to the floor once he realizes the door is open. Axel's trying desperately to staunch the nosebleed. Ha-ha, that's my brother, the demon prince.

"Interesting. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more and more of each other, don't you?" he asks huskily. My own nose starts to bleed and I curse my ears and my semi-human form. I exchange glances with Ven, both of us nodding and turning to Axel and co.

"Did Roxas tell you about our conditions?"

"Yep, he said you four had a rare form of cancer." the redhead girl answers. Her eyes widen. "Oh, my name's Kairi! And Xion is the one your brother was raping." she giggles. I want to drop dead right now, send me to Hell if that's what it takes to kill an angel. NO, I DIDN'T MEAN—

"We don't have cancer." I hear Vani say, "Really, Roxie? We'd be dead. I think Sora's halfway there. Venny! Sora was thinking it again. Seriously, he needs to learn if he wants to go to Hell, they will send him there. No joke."

"Huh?" Xion asks, her eyes fading back to normal. Vani shrugs, I think. I don't know… my body feels like it's on fire and my vision keeps going in and out of focus. Ven's carrying me? I groan in discomfort, and once the blurry shapes of the group are behind a door, the groans stop as a white light blinds me for a moment. I'm feeling a bit tipsy, but at least I'm not going to Hell. Y'know, I have to thank Vani for not letting the darkness suck my soul into everlasting torture. Maybe when he starts going to Heaven, I'll give him a hand and we'll call it even. Maybe.

"Sora-kun, you alright?" Speak of the devil. "And he'll appear."

"Can you read my mind?" I ask. He laughs.

"No. It's written all over your face." I frown. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately; whether it's from us getting closer to the Separation (as Ven called it) or the fact that the demons of our family are getting closer to their sadistic sides—I honestly don't know. Vani reaches over and curves the corners of my mouth up, pulling them higher until I smile for real. He sits back, that over-confident smirk on his face. Roxas screams for us to get in the living room. My wings flutter in the urgency to fly. God, when was the last time I did that? Saving Selphie from imps that _somebody _unleashed upon the whole Play Island? Wait, no. Vani pushes my wings against my back until they retreat inside my skin, taking the form of two small bumps. Kairi greeted me in the hall, carrying a bowl of popcorn. Roxas and Vani flash each other evil grins, their fangs visible for one split second. As soon as I see Chucky's face on the main menu,

"Eeep!" is the sound that comes out. I'm under Ven's Invader Zim throw blanket in a record of ten milliseconds. Roxas and Vani hit play, and my curiosity leads me to peer out from under the blanket. My mouth drops open in horror. The voodoo ritual! Those things scare the living shit out of me, and Vani does it all the time. I feel someone else under the blanket and see Kairi's red hair in my peripheral vision. She giggles nervously,

"This movie scares you too?"

"Kinda, but it's the voodoo that scares me really." I confess.

"The doll scares me more."

"So, what are they gonna watch after this?"

"Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, and if we're lucky, Scary Movie." she adds.

"Scary Movie?" I've heard of it, but since Vani's in charge of movie rental, I don't get a say in what we watch or don't watch.

"Yes, oh, this part's not as creepy." she says, and we poke our heads out. Andy is getting his birthday presents, and opening them happily, until he sees that they're clothes. No Good Guy doll for him. Vani's playing with Xion's hair, as if he's not even aware that he's doing it. She's yawning through all the boring and ordinary parts. Wait, the TV's on, Andy's in bed… holy crap somebody's gonna die! I feel someone prevent me from going back under.

"You're not going anywhere, pansy. Now watch the freakin' movie." Axel commands from behind me. I turn to see the babysitter get hit in the head with a hammer—since when do you put an actual hammer in a kiddie toolbox? She falls out the window and lands on a truck, causing a huge depression in the roof. Vani and Roxas are cracking up, like this is the Robot Chicken episode where Chucky gets taken down by Cabbage Patch Kids. Aren't my cousin and brother wonderful?

The same thing happens when Eddie Caputo's house is set on fire. I would hate to be the guardian angel on duty in this movie. "Ha! Kid didn't even notice, too busy pissin' on a chair." Vani mutters, shoving popcorn into his mouth. Roxas is tackled randomly by Axel, who complains that my "fat head" is in the way. More laughing from the resident demons when the detective gets attacked by the evil doll. Seriously, I wish Riku hadn't taken over the job of keeping my head focused on the screen. I look to Kairi for help, but she's hogging the entire Invader Zim throw!

"Whoa!" Xion cries, and I only have to see Vani's horn's protruding from the wild spikes we shared to know what happened. He's got that devilish smirk on, completely unaware of his horns growing out. I told him to get them filed down like Roxas, but he wouldn't listen. And now that's come back around to bite him right in the ass.

"Heheh, cool horns Vani, w-which store did you get 'em from?" I ask, faltering on part of the sentence.

"Hot Topic, fifty percent off with a purchase of a CD."

"Which band?"

"Isn't it obvious? The Devil Wears Prada."

"Literally." Roxas quips, and we (the supernatural beings) laugh. He leaves to go "put them away" and comes back with his hair covering them once again. He sits back down in the middle of the part where the mom locks Chucky in the fireplace. Tifa refills the bowl, and Cloud tells her not to and sends Vani to go do it instead. I pause the movie, despite the resounding groans.

"Oh come on!" Kairi chips in. "You'll like this better, right?"

"What's better than an evil doll to kill us all with voodoo and kitchen knives?" Vani asks, raising an eyebrow. Riku lets go of my head and glares at my brother. I pout, the slumped shoulders, bottom lip jutting out with a slight trembling for good measure, everything.

"Scary Movie!" She pops the disk in and sits back under the blanket, only to have it stolen by Roxas and Hayner.

"The Earth will be mine, MWAHAHAHAHA!" Creepy. Axel asks if I've seen it before and I say no. He talks with me about how I'll love it, and how I won't be able to take Scream seriously ever again. Awesome.

"Hayner, give it back!"

"No!"

"Fine, I get your corny glasses then!" Roxas yells.

"NO! NOT MY GUNNAR GAMING GLASSES, THOSE ARE SPECIAL!"Axel puts the movie in and hits play. I see some totally sexy mortal running through her kitchen with Scream after her, and out of all the knives (that Vani probably has in his room) on the counter, she chooses the banana. WHAT THE HELL? A FREAKING BANANA? How is that supposed to ward off a psychopathic serial killer? I understand it chasing off a cereal killer like Roxas, but still!

"Ugh, why does every bitch have fake tits?" Vani complains when the girl has one of her boobs sliced off. Then she gets hit by her parents' car. Roxas and Vani burst into another laughing fit. Riku asks why they laugh whenever something bad happens.

"Long story."

"We have time."

"Okay, well it goes like this," Our parents were together for only a little while. He made Mom pregnant, with twins, but then Mom got raped. Dad leaves as soon as we are born, at home. Mom is extremely angry and torn. The rape kinda twisted Vani beyond repair, and she couldn't take it anymore. We found her on my bed, holding a picture of Dad, but we both thought she was sleeping. But no matter how hard we shook her—I feel my stomach twist in knots (stupid mortal feelings) but I continue. "She wouldn't wake up." I dialed 911, and she never did wake up. We went to live with our aunt Aqua and uncle Terra. They read her will, and it left us a lockbox from our father and a letter from Mom. We found out some things that no ten-year-old should have to put up with. Me, Ven, Roxas, and Vani haven't been the same since.

"How do Roxas and Ven tie in with that?"

"Hm? Oh they were told by Cloud. Roxas was screwed up because of Cloud's brother Sephiroth."

"Sora-kun, you ain't telling people about 'it' are ya?"

"Yeah, what of it? Xion probably has something like 'it' too, I know you got that vibe."

"Moo, I'm a turtle." Roxas says all of a sudden. We all laugh, but I get dragged upstairs and into the attic anyway. Ven and Roxas follow. The demons lock the door and push crates over it so that nobody can get in. We angels can extend our wings during the day, but at dusk, we have to retract them. Vani searches for the mirror and I look for the stone. The stone is an uncut ruby set in gold that we place in front of us while chanting. Then the area angel will appear. On the Destiny Islands in Japan, Namine was our messenger angel. Here, it's Aerith. The demons have a different system where each demon is assigned a messenger for the season. It is summer, and the sun reflects off the stone and Aerith appears. She wears mortal clothes to disguise herself in case we are seen. A pink button-up dress with a purple belt around her waist. On her feet are boots, and she has her hair in one long braid with a bow in it. Her green eyes are friendly and welcoming.

"Sora, Ventus, you have a new mission. We want you to investigate a particular group of students at the high school you will be attending. They are popular, so you need to become popular as well. If nothing is gathered then, return to us immediately."

"Can we see what they look like?" Ven asks, more familiar with her than I am.

"Oh, believe me. You'll know them when you see them." Aerith smiles and the light stops reflecting. I pick the stone up and stash it in the crate. Axel and Riku are banging on the ladder, and I pray that Vani and Roxas will wrap it up.

"Got it. So, unregistered daemon, find, capture, send to Hell." I forgot to mention something. Demons don't like to be called that. They prefer daemons, like we prefer angels over "messengers of God".

"You got it, man." Braig? Wasn't he the one that got Ven sent to the hospital by freezing him solid? He almost got… what was it called? Hypo-something. If Ven's body was destroyed, he would have to wander the earth for eternity as an invisible spirit. None hearing, none seeing, I've heard so much about it.

"Alright," my brother replies. In a silent voice he asks, "is Dad still there?"

"Oh, kid, I'm not sure he wants to see you."

"And why not? I'm his only kid, the motherfucking prince of Hell."

"Yeah, yeah, we know. The thing is, boss-man isn't giving him any credit for the heir."

"Mmm, I get it. He thinks by ignoring me that I'll get bored and leave him alone. Wrong! When I turn twenty-one—"

"In four years," Braig interjects. For a daemon, he's great at stopping my brother's rants.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Still, tell that goddamn rapist," I cringe, just a little, because it's not good to use the name of the Lord in vain, "that I'll find him and slice off his dick then make him eat it—"

"Van! Shut the fuck up already! We have to go," Roxas adds. The daemon prince glares, and we stretch our wings out one last time before they retreat inside our shirts. I push the crates off the door and pull it open. Ven drops down first, then Roxas, then me, and Vani lingers just a bit longer until Roxas starts yelling again. Kairi and Axel fire question after question, at me and Ven—Roxas had escaped about five minutes before. I sigh and give false answers, though the lies weigh heavy.

**Vanitas' POV**

"Did you really do that to me?" Xion asks again. I smirk and roll my eyes; is she deaf, dumb, _and_ blind? I just said "Yeah, and don't deny you liked it." when she asked me the first time, I'm cornering her away from the others, and she got some of her lipstick on me. Why do mortals even wear this stuff, it won't come off, it just smudges! Oh well, this American girl is interesting. I think I'll keep her around.

"Do I have to repeat myself, stupid girl?" she turns away and crosses her arms over her chest defiantly. The Japanese girls back home were always submissive, well, most of the time. I've been hit upside the head with a book bag and called a pervert before, but that doesn't happen in America, does it? I don't know, but maybe I can learn a few tricks from the boys in California. "I said, 'Yeah.' is that so hard to understand? Damn, the Japanese girls were so much easier to work with."

"Japanese? Is that where you're from?"

"You could say that. We're from a group of islands off the coast. We're close by, so we're technically Japanese."

"That explains the crazy hair."

"Do you believe in God, around here?"

"Duh, I'm Christian." Suspicious. She won't look at me, am I losing my sexiness? OH NO!

"Huh. You believe in Satan then right?"

"Yup. If you believe in God you have to believe in Satan." she says. Now she looks at me, and she speaks the truth.

"Good, then we can hang out."

"Why? You're Christian too, aren't you?" I burst into a laughing fit, and she frowns. Just like Sora-kun, who should really smile more. I mean, just 'cause we're brothers and we'll be torn apart in four years (fuck you, Braig) doesn't mean that those years should be unsmiley-ish. Don't tell me that's not a word, I'm trying to get the point across here, and that is so Roxas' thing. Or Ven's. I have no idea, those two are too identical. "What are you then?" A daemon prince, that's what.

"Sora-kun and Ven are Christian. I'm Satanic, like Roxas."

"Roxas worships Satan?"

"I wouldn't say worship, but we prefer him over God any day." Wait, she's not totally disgusted? Interesting! To the lair! I start to run, mumbling nonsense to myself that I'll forget later. Xion is following me, but no matter how many shortcuts and hiding spots I have through the house, I can't shake her. I run upstairs, only to crash into Cloud. I get hit upside the head with my own suitcase.

"Go put your stuff away Mr. 'Balan' and I don't want to catch you and Roxas in one of those rituals."

"But you let Sora and Venny—"

"Go, Vanitas." I glare at my uncle and dash down the hall to the last door on the left, "my" room. I lift up the loose floorboard, and pull my ritual kit out. Ew, it smells like Roxas. He owes me now. I put the kit back, and unpack my things. My battle gear, my helmet, my knives, a tourniquet, some first aid supplies, a pack of cigarettes, and a mini guillotine. I hang my flag up against the wall, with the symbols for Hell and darkness on the black fabric. Xion bursts through the door as I'm sharpening a machete, and sees the variety of dark things in here.

"What do you want?" I watch her carefully, and smirk when she shrugs. "Then get out, stupid girl."

"Will you stop calling me that!"

"No. Now get out before you make me do something reckless." I warn, waving the machete in her face. She holds her ground, and I pull the ritual kit out. "I asked you to leave nicely, but if you want to be a Venny, then be my guest." I put my hands on the doll of Sora-kun and start chanting, keeping my eyes fixed on the doll. She's not shaking in fear yet, interesting. I chant a bit louder.

"What are you doing?"

"Scaring the shit out of Cloud."

"Why would you do that?"

"Are you that dense? I'm obviously the evil twin." I lean back, drained. "Make yourself *cough* useful and get *cough* the bag…" She hands me the tiny pouch that's normally around my neck or shoved deep into my pocket. I pull out one glowing red crystal and chant what I can while coughing. I start glowing and the energy is returned.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Just, help me up."

"You called me stupid, why should I help you?"

"You're interesting," I say, while getting closer. I pull away just when our lips touch, and she gives me a questioning stare. EVIL TWIN people, I'm not going to give you _everything _like my hopeless romantic of a cousin—that means you Venny! "Now help me up." She leans down and offers me a hand. I take it, and sadly, she wasn't smart enough to _not pull_ while I got onto my feet. We are officially, screwed. I'm too exhausted to move, and she is under me.

"Get off!" she yells, pushing on my chest. She really is THAT slow. Let me see, unable-to-stand-up Vanitas (check), weak Xion (check), dense Xion (double check), and heavier-than-her Vanitas (also double check). Okay, she's close to the bed, that might work…

"Reach under the bed."

"Why?"

"You wanna keep the feeling in your legs or not?

"Fine." she grumbles. She puts her arm on the floor and slowly moves it toward the underside of my bed. Her hand disappears into the darkness, and she jumps into the air, terrified. I manage to get on my knees, and still she clings to the ceiling. What. The. Hell! She is _so _not a mortal. Axel bursts through the door as she drops down, and he pauses to take in the dark atmosphere of my lair. I feel so appreciated!

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO SORA? ONE MINUTE HE'S THERE AND LIKE HE JUST 'POOF' DISAPPEARS!" Axel screams, and Kairi shows up holding a porcelain brunette doll with spiky hair like mine and blue eyes. The Coldplay shirt he wears is tiny and shows a little bit of his stomach the way the redhead is holding him. His jeans are also tiny, and the Osiris he is wearing are fit for a toddler. I marvel at my work, and figure Sora's inanimate body might be upstairs. "AND THIS FREAKY THING IS IN THE KITCHEN STARING AT US! WHAT THE HELL IS—oh hey Rox."

"Vani, did you do that to Sora again?"

"Yep, and I am very proud of my work."

"Dad is going crazy, and he keeps telling Mom to 'kick the damn Balan out he's screwing up already!'"

"What's a Balan?"

"Nothin'. Now let me show you my ventriloquist act!" I take the doll and count to three in my head.

"Ventriloquist my ass." Doll-Sora looks down at his body and shrieks. "What did you do?"

"Wow, that's an excellent impression of your brother." Kairi says.

"I give up. Vani why can't your dumb pranks wait until tonight?" Doll Sora asks.

"I got bored, and my lair can't keep me entertained unless there's a corpse in it!" A lot of things can keep me entertained, but messing with Sora was the only choice available.

"Which should be arriving tonight! Whaddya say, Van? Up for some fun and games?" Roxas elbows me, and I say yes while glaring.

"Put it like that and you sound like two cannibal rapists." Doll Sora remarks. Kairi giggles nervously. Xion is watching with an amused smile, like she sees this every day. Axel's watching Hayner make Roxas impressions.

"Put it like that and you sound like a psychopathic serial killer stuck inside a doll-or Chucky for short!"

"Vani, change me back!" Doll-Sora yells. Cloud comes down and is about to ask if I'm unpacked, but then he sees Sora still running his mouth and grabs me by the collar of my Slipknot music tee that a coworker in Japan gave me. I try to resist the strength but I'm still recovering from the body-switch. He pushes me into the closet and switches on the light. Is it me or is this _totally _a scene off that show in Japan... what was it called?

"You."

"Uh, yeah, me."

"I told Seph I didn't care about handling demons,"

"Sure. Anyway, did you know Roxas ordered a corpse from the morgue. He said it would be coming soon, and I wanna call dibs."

"You make me sick."

"Figures. Angels are such weak little pussies." I smirk when he tries to hold back his anger.

"I know the perfect punishment."

"What?"

"Seven Minutes in Heaven, _with Ven_."


	2. Going to a DMZ, a Daemon Messenger Zone

**Not What It Seems **_**(AN: some characters have usernames.)**_

**Chapter Two: Going to a DMZ, a Daemon Messenger Zone **

**Sora's POV**

**Line of the Chapter: "In the name of Satan, somebody help me!" **

Pancakes. That's my breakfast, across the table from Kairi and Axel, who live across the street. I've had pancakes before, as the islands are just as influenced by American culture as they are by Japanese culture.

"So why're you two going to Destati and not whatever school in Japan." I choke and Vani spits out his decaf all over Ven's face.

"What are you, an idiot?" Roxas asks.

"Axel, don't you go on Facebook anymore?" Kairi raises an eyebrow when her brother shakes his head.

"Hardly, I'm too busy with work." he explains.

"Tsunami hit the islands and we evacuated here. Our friends are arriving soon." Vani wipes his mouth and gets up to go get dressed. He comes back down later wearing a dark grey vest with a white shirt underneath. He wraps a maroon scarf around his neck with both ends down his back. He pulls on grey Converse and beats me in the race outside. Ven passes me a note, reminding me of our mission. Vani breaks away from our group halfway to school and doesn't join us until we're waiting by the double doors in the back for the bell to ring. I have English first, and with Roxas, so I am thanking God for my luck (even if he's not an angel we get along very well). Of course, that jinxes it, so Vani pulls up on a motorbike the next minute. It is black and purple with stickers of a symbol he had tattooed on his shoulder. How he got that thing so quickly, I don't want to know. He follows Axel and Kairi to their first hour, which is Chemistry. Roxas drags me upstairs and into our classroom. The teacher drones on and on about proper grammar and other nonsense. Roxas texts me during the middle of the lesson. I don't reply until he kicks me under the desk.

_Me: what is it?_

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: this is boring isn't it?_

_Me: totally. _

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: Yay! ;D _

_Me: What r u planning?  
><em>

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: Nothing… _

_V-enterthedark-V: Sora-kun, what r u doing?  
><em>

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: r u skipping?  
><em>

_V-enterthedark-V: nope._

_Me: I'M BORED! _

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: we kno. _

_V-enterthedark-V: ow, just got hit by Sora-kun's lady friend. _

_Me: don't call her that!_

_V-enterthedark-V: thx Sora. _

_Me: what for? _

_V-enterthedark-V: telling him not toasdijew9i845i _

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: what? _

_V-enterthedark-V: that was Kairi, who is your lady friend whether she likes it or not. NOBODY STEALS MY PHONE!_

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: thought Dad took away ur phone._

_V-enterthedark-V: or did he? :D_

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: WTF _

"Mr. Hikari can you tell us the message in this poem?"

"Erm…" I looked at the board, focusing on the words. C'mon superior intellect, help me out! "OH NOES!" I shout when I see that Roxas is recording what I say.

"What was that?"

"Er, I said…" I pause. "."

"Oh, you must be the foreign exchange student from Japan." 

"Yes he is." he agrees. "And he's texting his brother to find out what to say in English."

"Roku-chan!" I whine. Roxas shrugs.

_V-enterthedark-V: What the hell are you dumbasses doing? _

_Me: you R skipping._

_V-waywardwind-V: no, really?_

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: Ven, u 2?_

_V-waywardwind-V: no, teacher sent me to investigate the smoke. _

_Me: VANI U DIDN'T. _

_V-enterthedark-V: O.O _

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: oh shit. _

"Sora-kun, say 'sorry'" I tilt my head to the side in confusion. "Sorry, Sora! Say it!" 

"Sorry?" Roxas nods. "Oh, sorry."

I'm about to put the phone away when it blasts "Starstruckk". I curse, and answer it.

"Vani?"

"**Sora-kun, gotta help me! YOUR LADY FRIEND IS BEATING THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME—OW!" **

"Vani…"

"**HELP!" **

"Vani…" 

"**I SAID HELP ME YOU DUMBASS!"** Vani yells over the phone loud enough for the class to hear. Some students start laughing, but the teacher glares at me. I just want to come clean, but _no, _my idiot cousin wanted both of us to lie to her face!

"That's his brother." Roxas takes out his phone, totally ignoring the fuming old lady giving us the evil eye from the front of the room. "Axel code your-sister-is-insane." 

"**What did the twins do?" **Axel asks.

"More like what did Vanitas do. He called her Sora-kun's lady friend." Roxas, for a demon (it's hard to say 'daemon' when it's been 'demon' almost your whole life) you're so honest!

"**I always thought I'd fake my death and get hit by an eighteen-wheeler. Instead, I'm hiding in a garbage can trying to write my will!" **Vani whispers in exasperation.

"**Ooh, that **_**is **_**bad. I'm on it, you stay in class." **Axel replies, **  
><strong>

"**In the name of Satan, somebody help me!" **And the line goes dead. Roxas slides his phone halfway into his backpack. The teacher surprisingly doesn't ask for our phones, and I find out why when I see the color of Roxas' eyes. A light purple, the color of hypnosis.

_Vani: Sora-kun, i'm alive! _

_Me: ok…_

_Vani: Xion is a l1f3-54v3r_

_Me: translation plz?_

_Vani: she saved my ass from your lady friend. _

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: u 2 do realize this is a public txting app, right?_

_fiveplusthree: they should. _

_Me: -.- _

_V-waywardwind-V: u red my mind Sor _

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: oh the irony _

_Me: i'm changing ur name in contacts. _

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: dont u dare. _

I scroll down my list of contacts, and hit Roxas, then I edit his name to the embarrassing nickname with a photo from "Disaster the Fifth". It was a party. They left Ven, Vani, and Roxas alone. BAD IDEA.

_Roxie-pop: I HATE U_

_Me: i 3 u 2 cuz _

_Vani: lol, no change mine back to what it was. _

_Me: K _

_V-waywardwind-V: he doesn't deserve it._

_Van: yeah i do, thx Sora-kun. _

_Me: np _

_fiveplusthree: u notice 'Van' looks like Ven with an upside-down 'e'? _

_Me: That's why we call Van, Vani. _

_Van: just call Ven, Venny. _

_Roxie-pop: K, Sora change my name back. _

_Kairi: where r u? _

I hear the bell ring and Roxas leaves quickly, sticking to his mood.

_Me: heading 2 math_

_tenthenfour: same. Can i talk 2 u? _

_Me: sure._

_fivepluseight: which math class?_

_Me: 1-206 _

_fivepluseight: talking 2 Xion._

I bump into her, and have another speak-of-the-devil moment. Her hair is messier than usual, and I see she's not wearing the jacket over her school uniform that Kairi was envious of. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing, just running a little late. Bye, Sora!" she says quickly, taking off in the opposite direction of where I was going. She's like that for the rest of the day, avoiding our group, especially Vani. He doesn't take to it well, and is blowing up my phone to ask for advice.

_fivepluseight: Dude, is he texting u 2? _

_Me: I stopped replying like an hour ago, and he just goes to the next person. If u keep saying anything, he wont leave u alone. _

_fivepluseight: . _

_Me: Roxas, it's time to pay Xion a visit. _

_XIIIDestiny'sKeyXIII: thx for changing my name back. _

_Me: let's get going, the bell's about to ring. _

As soon as the bell rings, we dash straight to what's now Vani's corner. I tell him to get on his bike and circle around the school until he finds her. Roxas though, insists that I find Riku and Kairi, so that's my job in this get-Vani-to-shut-up mission. I ask Axel where they usually are and run to the parking lot on the side. They're in their uniforms, like me, but unlike my brother. I say hi, and ask if the Chemistry teacher really blew up the lab. I start talking about an anime show in Japan where that happens to a student, who isn't paying attention because a hot chick walks in as the new student. They ask if Tokyo is still intact, but I shrug, we stayed in a small town close to an airport.

"So, you play any good video games?"

"Yeah, the games in Japan sucked, so I ordered from America. Black Ops, anybody?" Riku lights up, letting go of the I-hate-you-all attitude. I grin, but then I sigh when I see Vani wearing that helmet with the dark glass that magically pulled away from his face at will.

"Sora-kun, get on, we've got kidnapping to do." he adds, when I give him the "Explain or I won't move" look. Aqua gave it to him often, which made him laugh hysterically. Not his normal laugh, but his "you know you're about to get…" and insert the action he might choose. Ranges from raped to tickled. 

"For the last time, wait what?" He never asked me to help on his missions. Even if he was crippled and about to die he wouldn't ask for help. 

"I said, get on idiot."

"He's going home with us." Kairi insisted, not liking how he was talking to me. 

"Riku, step aside… bitch." He muttered when the two teens pulled me in the car. He flipped Riku off and rode off in the direction that he came from.

"Your brother is so—" I cut her off by raising my hand. I have that effect on people, raise the hand and they're compelled to listen.

"I know, everyone says that. I always have it easy, he can't fit in as good as everyone else. Think of how Roxas was when he came here!" I add hastily when they both give me confused looks. 

"Zombie-ish, snippy, didn't like anybody?" Riku asks, starting up the car. I get in the back seat, sitting in the middle.

"Exactly. Just, Vani's a little more outgoing. I can show you the disc, but we'll play online later. I have to call Ven." I explain when he puts the I-hate-you-all attitude back on.

"Doe Ven have a phone?" Kairi asks, and I shrug.

"I dunno, but there might be a meeting."

"A meeting?"

"Yeah, we do this all the time. It makes us feel normal." I say, shutting my mouth the instant the words were out. My phone starts playing "Starstruckk" again, and I pull the iPhone from my back pocket. I answer it and hear wind blowing and a car horn.

"**Sora, remember how Axel said there'd be a week-long party?" **

"Uh, yeah." I don't turn him off speaker so they can see he's not so bad.

"**I can't make it. I'm going to Korea, to see someone."**

"He's going to Korea? North or South?"

"**Neither. And by the way, you're still Sora-kun's lady friend whether you like it or not." **

"**HEY! Watch where you're going you son of a—"**

"**Love ya too Dad." **

Kairi is trying not to get angry, so she focuses on the road. Riku's taking the long way, which is all the way around town.

"**I'm going to a DMZ, tell Roxas his idea can wait." **

"Vani, you can't go there. Stay home, do that Seven Minutes in Heaven that Cloud wanted you to do, oh and no voodoo."

"**Why?" **

"Er…"

"**Exactly. Now, where does Xion live?"**

"None of your business, you jackass." Riku says.

"**Go suck a dick, Riku. I know, what about Miss Twinkie's!" **

I gag and my eyes bulge. I start laughing, remembering our fifth grade teacher in Japan.

"Miss Twinkie?"

"Don't ask, j-just shh…" I laugh again.

"**Nevermind. Wakka, where does Xion Kisaragi live?" **

"**Xion's a hot bitch, ya?" **I heard a thud and something shatter on the ground.

"**Don't you **_**ever**_** say that again, or you'll meet the same fate as my goddamn rapist of a father!"**

"**Chill man. Okay, so you find this guy, he'll give you the address. I know he's a little… creepy, but keep your cool and he won't mess you up." **

"**He's gonna go to Hell before he lays a finger on me… or Xion. Sora, you still there? Even though you won't, cover for me."**

"Okay, bye." I hung up and called Ven.

"**Aerith, I have to go, tell me about them later. Hello?" **

"Ven, what did Aerith tell you?"

"**Remember our first mission, to help that girl?" **

"It wasn't on the islands was it?"

"**No, it was here when Mom wanted to take you in. Well, that little girl has an item that'll we need before the Separation."**

"You mean _the_ key?"

"**Yeah, it's a silver orb on a necklace. Inside is a crucifix. If you can get the crucifix and do the ritual properly, then it'll be ours." **

"We can't keep those on our backs here."

"**I know, we'll keep them in charm form or something." **

"Like…"

"**A crown for you, the Mastery symbol—" **

"Wait, that's what kind you are? Ooh, Ven, you know it's going to hurt."

"What's going to hurt?" Riku asks as we pull into me and Kairi's subdivision.

"**I know, Sora. But I can't help it, I'm fascinated and I want to be like them, striving and mastering what they can't!" **

"Ven, the Separation's in three years. Next time we have to wait for another set of twins to open it and that could take forever and it would only be a day! I'm higher ranked than you so we still won't see each other. Vani's the you-know-what and Roxas has to serve as a…"

"**Blank of Fate."**

"What are you guys talking about?" Kairi asks.

"**World of Warcraft!" **

"The Elder Scrolls!"

Riku stops the car in the driveway of Kairi and Axel's house. I smell smoke, not good.

**V-enterthedark-V POV**

I hate when everyone is rich and "living the American dream". I never grew up like that, Mom was single and we had to beg for food sometimes in the city. She was in and out of jobs because everyone wanted to be her boyfriend (and girlfriend) except she "wasn't ready". I know Sora's dad was a bastard to leave but he probably heard she got raped while still preggers. I pull up to the apartment complex, parking my bike by the stairs. I won't be here long anyway. I remember the creepy guy by the Taco Bell downtown said she lived in 304 B. I get there and knock on the door. No answer. I knock again, impatiently. She still doesn't answer. I have to leave for Korea soon, and I have to go out of sight to get there. Yes, daemons and angels can teleport. There's side-along, but I've never actually tried it before. I place my hand on the door, and pull it back behind my head before slamming it hard on the wood. Now I know you're thinking 'Wow the door exploded upon impact, way to go Van,' but it only opened as if Xion had answered it. That's a small ability I have, to get in and out of houses at will!

NO LOCK CAN WITHSTAND THE AWESOMENESS!

Except for the gates to Heaven, those are gates no daemon or mortal can open. I invite myself inside, seeing her curled up on the couch asleep. I only see one room, a kitchen, and a desk with a desktop PC on it. "Aw, you're cute when you sleep." I mutter, keeping quiet as possible. She springs to life and proceeds to punch and kick me with power I did NOT know she had. I go full force towards the TV, but I stop myself just before I hit it. The dark glass pulls away from my face, but the chin mechanism to keep it on stays put. "Ow, that almost hurt you know."

"What are you doing here?"

"I—"

"How do you know where I live?"

"Xi, relax. It's me, Vanitas, remember? Totally smexy beast you DO NOT hit."

"…" I push her back onto the couch, sitting on her lap. She starts to struggle and punch me again, but I catch her fist before she gets my face.

"Why. Were. You. Avoiding. Me?" I ask calmly. She panicks and turns away, but I cup her cheek and turn her back to face me. I try to use my hypnosis ability (I sound like a Pokémon) to get the answer out of her, but she stays immune. Weird. "Don't make me repeat myself. You avoided all of us, when there was no real reason to. If you have something to say, say it to my face."

"I—you, what you did in the classroom upstairs… that kinda…" she drifts off, still trying to look away.

"Kinda what?"

"It was just… you know, awkward."

"How is this awkward?" I lean closer and our lips touch. I don't pull away like I usually do, but I let her enjoy this one. She kisses me back and I have to admit, this is one to put in the books. The ones about the girls I dated and/or had sex with that are really memorable. I start, uh, exploring… and that's when she jumps back to reality. She looks so cute when she blushes. I'm gonna pretend I didn't think that. She blushes even harder. "Did I say that out loud?" She nods. Shit, this is not good for my reputation. "It's true. Another thought that might ruin my reputation also, I want to stay."

"Here… with me?" she asks, looking back at me with those beautiful azure eyes. OMG! IT'S HAPPENING! I bury my face in the nape of her neck, careful with the thing still on my chin. She smells good, like the ocean. I release a breath that I didn't know I was holding, and I'm pretty damn sure I know my breathing patterns. "Do you have to leave?" I mumble something against her skin, making her giggle. "Somebody's comfortable, aren't they?" She starts rubbing a certain area on my jeans and I jump up in shock. I am sooooo gonna need a cold shower when I get to the DMZ. If, they have showers.

"I-I just gotta run to a DMZ and I'll be back soon, 'kay?" I pause at the door, to look back at her, trying to hide disappointment.

"Isn't the DMZ in Korea?" 

"So?" And with that, I leave. I applaud myself on the dramatic exit. She'll be wondering now, what her smexy badass "interest" is planning. I call Axel and ask for Riku's number. I smirk while I ride out into the countryside where the road turns to dirt.

"**Who's this?" **

"Who's your favorite serial killer?" I ask in a demonic and very creepy voice, like the killer in Scream.

"**Nice try, Axel." **

"Just answer the fucking question!"

"**I dunno, I'm not a internet creep like you, Ax."  
><strong>

"How much you wanna bet that this _isn't _Axel?"

"**Nothing, 'cause Axel's a horror movie fanatic who is obsessed with fire."**

"I can show you fire, the kind of fire that will burn you through your soul for all eternity son of a bitch. Answer. The question."

"**I guess, that guy who made those bombs and put 'em in boxes and stuff." **

"I prefer Mr. Gacy, I know him in fact. Taught me some of the greatest things I know."

"**Oh really?" **

"As real as the fact I'm standing in the closet upstairs on your left." Daemons are awesome, I know right? I hear Riku shuffle around, and walk up the stairs. He hesitates at the closet.

"**Quit the joke already, who is this?" **

"Are you going to be a pussy or open the closet?" I rest my bike in the tall grass, getting ready to go. I hear him open it, and curse.

"**Liar, what do you want?" **

"I want nothing more than to hear your screams as I castrate you in front of your best friend while drawing smiley faces and hearts all over your legs. I want to let my father rape you over and over until you beg for mercy as I beat you to a pulp and shoot your brains out with an Uzi."

"**I'm hanging up." **

"Don't you fu—" The surroundings melt into the underground daemon HQ for Asia. Enough games, I have to discuss some things with the head daemon. He's like, ninety, but like the rest of the supernatural beings… you don't age after twenty-one. He'll be retiring soon, and one of my friends will take over. I personally requested it—the guy's way too whiny about his nonexistent life. I pass by thirty or more daemons from places like Taiwan, China, and even Russia. The concierge is a siren, once a concubine for Satan but he moved on from her. I heard she was really broken up about it, and wasn't so able to move on after being toyed with and dumped. Must be an earth-dweller. See, daemons can go to Hell but they can't come back to Earth—only the twins such as Roxas, Sora, Ven, and me can do that. I tap her shoulder and she looks up at me with disheartened red eyes. "Expecting a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend, if that's your thing."

"What do you need, Prince Vanitas?" she asks, sighing. Her chestnut-colored bird wings flutter, in place of nervous fidgeting. Did I neglect to mention sirens don't have arms? Guess so.

"Just Vanitas, the title's too formal." It is, and I get enough of that from the boss-man and Braig. Though I have to thank the one-eyed pedophile; he froze Ven solid and nearly gave him hypothermia.

"Answer the question, I have others to serve." she adds, flipping the sign-in book to a new page. My name appears in fancy silver letters, just my first name with "Balan" in front of it. Balan is another word for "Prince of Hell".

"I need to see the head daemon." she taps her foot impatiently, "It's for official reasons." That appears in the same lettering under my name. She flips a switch, and I feel the floor fall out from under me. There are seven levels total, with different divisions. The angels depict us as ugly fiendish creatures breathing fire in Hell, but we're just as organized as they are. I pass through the first layer, where the half-daemons wait to, uh, find out what they are? Some are in chains, so they must be in trouble. Ha-ha, sucks for them. I don't pay much attention to the second and third levels; the daemons there are nothing special to me. It's the fourth that gets me interested because I see sharp and shiny things. Souls are trapped in dark orbs as they submit to their own torturous afterlives while being prodded with poison-tip spears stolen in a chain robbery during the 1930's. I see the religious leaders of Satanism watching from pods that let their souls see the action and translate it to their eyes as they preach, I guess. I dunno, the system down here's too complex for me to care about worshipping boss-man. There's one last area between me and the fifth level; one that shows the blood on my hands, something Sora-kun can never see or know about. Roxas and I are even—I won't tell Ven that he fell in love with someone forbidden, and he won't tell Sora I've taken the lives of mortals.

"Prince Vanitas, what a… pleasant surprise." the head daemon says when I step off the lift onto the soft dark blue carpet. Everyone depicts Hell as red and black. It doesn't have to be, but that's the preference most of the time. He takes a sip from a glass of champagne and motions for me to sit. "Is there something you need?"

"It relates to my mission, it was assigned to me yesterday by Braig." I add hastily. My bad if the guy can't keep up with my awesomeness. He pulls up a file on the laptop he has with him, and browses the contents.

"Find an unregistered daemon… quite simple if you ask me." he comments quietly.

"What happens when I bring the daemon back, do they get registered or what?"

"Possibly. Most of them would get taken care of, or thrown in the dungeons either here or in the Americas."

"Isn't that like, a waste? You could put 'em to work and make things a lot easier." The daemon simply chuckles. I'm not joking! Things would be so much better if I took my place as heir. The room shakes from an explosion in the DMZ.

"I would if I could. However, it's not my place to decide what we do with the unregistered daemons. Anything else?" He yawns, straightening the square glasses that had been resting lopsided on the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah. How would I be able to tell who it is?"

"Hold that thought, please." I hear him click something and type up a message. "You know the different types of daemons. Pick one and investigate by those characteristics."

"Fair enough. Anyway, do I _have _to mate with a mortal?"

"Mortals are more plentiful, but it's your choice." I stand up and offer a red crystal of healing to the head.

"Take care of yourself man." I get back on the lift and ride to the lobby once more. Glad that's over, now the mission should be easier. I call Roxas and tell him what I found out. He sounds stressed out, not that I care. He'll just have to suck it up and listen. I take a seat in the lobby, and we try to come up with a plan to find and capture this daemon.

"**I got it! See, there's this nightclub on Garden Street and it's really popular. I used to work there but you know, Mom wasn't happy about it so yeah. You get the job there, and keep your eyes out for them." **

"I normally don't listen to your plans since they result in failure too often..."

"**Vanitas, I don't have time for this. Yes or no!" **

"Somebody's impatient." 

"**I can make the rest of your life miserable if I wanted to, I'm the D—oh hi Xion."**

"Gotta go."

"**We'll talk about this later, just don't think I'll forget!" **He hangs up, and I smirk. He'll so forget. I wave to some old co-workers from the dojo, and close my eyes. When I open them, I'm standing in the grassy field from before. I get on my motorbike and the fiberglass part of the mask slips over my face. I ride along the highway into town, pulling onto the street Roxas had said this nightclub was on. I know he was lying when he said he worked there, he really worked at a strip club on a dare from someone in his little school club. The sign is off, and if it were on, you'd see "The Bailey" in big neon letters on the side of the building. I go past it towards Xion's apartment. I hope she won't explode on me again, that was just weird. How could she even hear me? Xion's not normal, and that makes her interesting.

Her apartment's empty this time, though I don't leave without raiding the fridge. She won't miss the chicken-flavor ramen, it's mine now. I think I'm in (metaphorical) heaven, a bowl of somebody else's food and Back to the Future on the TV. Roxas calls again, halfway through the friggin' movie! Come on, man, gimme a break!

"**Where the hell are you?" **

"Crashed at Xion's place, her TV has like four thousand channels! And did you know she's got a secret stash of chicken-flavor ramen?" 

"**What are you doing in my house?" **I hear Roxas yelling for the phone back. Uh-oh, she's pissed.

"Watching your TV and eating your food." I answer, bluntly. "I got what I needed at the DMZ, now piss off." What? She deserves it for getting bitchy on me, she should save that for later—this is only the beginning.

"**Get out!" **

"Make me."

"**You asked for it." **I hang up and toss my phone back on the coffee table. I switch the channel to SpongeBob instead, which I know Roxas hates to death, so that if he calls me back he can suffer the almighty talking sponge! I yawn and start to fall asleep, against my will.

"—the fuck?"


End file.
